Knife-head for mowers.



No. 736,761. l PATENTED AUG. 18.19013. L. B. MITCHELL.

KNIFE HEAD POR MOWERS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 1, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

A TTOHNE YS.

mr Norms Urns co. PnooLmlo., wAsmnGwN, n. c.

ivo. 736,761.

UNITED STATES' Fatented August 18, lg.

LORENZO B. MITCHELL, OF HART, MICHIGAN.

` KNl'FEf-HEAD FOR MOWERS.-

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letterstlatent No; 736,761, dated August 18, 1903. 'App1imi01ifi1eanay1, 190s. semina 155,154. (Nomaden To a/ZZ whom t may concern: l Be it knownthat'l, LORENZO B. MITCHELL,

a citizen of the United States, and aresident'- a construction of knife-head for mowers which will permit the pitman to be raised sufficiently to avoid all obstructions and to be clear of the swath in the heaviest clover and alfalfa and which will avoid whippingV the grass in cutting the first swath.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a machine comparatively noiseless` in operation and to furnish bearings for the knife-head capable of holding sufficient oil to constantly lubricate the journal ends of the same, preventing detrimental action from dirt and stubble, and also to provide cushions, preverably of a spring character, for the knifehead which will obviate the jar or strain of the vibration of the knife in passing the deadcenters, and also to provide a construction which will obviate the usual upward pull and downward push of the knife-head, thereby removing the prime cause of breakage in the sickle-bar or knife and also permitting the removal of the knife from the machine at theV outer end of the cutter-bar, which at such time may be in any position.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of the improvement applied to the cutter-bar of a mowing-machine. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the knife-head, its supports, and a portion of the sickle-bar connected with the knife-head; and Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the inner shoe and a sectional end view of the cutter-bar attached to the shoe and a transverse section through the knifehead and its carrying-shaft, the section being taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, together with aside elevation of a flange from the shoe adapted as one bearing for the shaft on which `the knife-head has movement.`

A represents the cutter-bar of a mowingmachine, provided with the usual guard-1ingers 10 and adapted for any desired connection with the track-bar of the machine. n

B represents the sickle-bar, which reciprocates in the customary manner upon the cutter-bar and is provided with knives 11, having free movement through the guard-iingerslO.

C represents the inner or right-hand shoe, attached to the cutter-bar, having` lugs 12 to receive the lifting-yoke or other equivalent device for the cutter-bar. At the forward portion of the shoe C upwardly-extending properly-spaced projections or flanges D are secured or made integral with the shoe, having opposing openings 13 therein. Theend portions of a shaft 14 are passed through the openings 13 in the anges of the shoe C, and at each terminal of the shaft 14 a nut 15 is secured, having engagement with the outer faces of the shoe-flanges D, which constitute bearings for thesaid shaft.

A knife-head E is mounted to slide upon the shaft 14 between the shoe -flanges D, which knife-head is provided with a longitudinal socket 1G between its upper and lower edges, and through this socket 16 the shaft 14 passes. This socket 16 may be constantly supplied with oil in any desired manner.

Atthe upper part of the right-hand end of the knife-head B a stem 17 is formed, and preferably at the outer end of the stem a ball 18 is produced, adapted to enter a socket 19, carried by a pitman 20, preferably driven by the movement of the harvesting-machine.

l This ball-and-socket connection can be lubricated as desired. Thus it will be observed that the knife-head E is given reciprocating movement upon 4the shaft 14 through the aforesaid pitman. y

A spring 21 is coiled around the shaft 14 between the shoe-flanges D and the ends of the knife-head E. These springs serve as cushions for the knife-head and prevent any jar that would otherwise be incident to the reciprocating movement of the knife-head.

rA socket 22 is formed at the bottom of the knife-head E, in which socket 22 the inner or stem end b of the sickle-bar B is properly secured. Usually, as illustrated, the stem b of IOO the sickle-bar B is provided with a collar 23 for engagement with one end of the lower socket 22 in the knife-head E, and a nut and washer 24, carried by the said stem, are arranged for engagement with the opposite end of the said socket, as is shown in Fig. l.

The knife-head E may be constructed as is shown in Fig. 3i-namely, in two sections e and e', of suitable material, connected by bolts or by equivalent means; but the said knifehead E may be made from a single piece of material if found desirable. It will be ob- Y served that under this construction of knifeheads and supports the knife-head is cushioned at each end of its stroke and that the pitman may be raised as high as occasion may require.

Having thus described my invention,I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In mowers, a cutter-bar, a shoe to which the cutter-bar is fastened, a shaft secured to the said shoe, a knife-head mounted for movement on said shaft, and cushions between the bearings of the shaft and the ends of the knife-head, substantially as described.

2. In mowers, a shoe, upward projections from the shoe, a shaft secured to the said projections, a knife-head mounted to slide on the said shaft, cushions on the shaft for engagement with the ends of the knife-head, aknife connected with the lower portion of the said knife-head, and a driving mechanism for the said knife-head, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In mowers, a shoe, upward projections from the shoe, a shaft secured to said projections, a knife-head mounted to slide on the said shaft between the projections, springcushions carried by the said shaft, located between the ends of the knife-head and the said projections, a knife connected with the lower portion of the said knife-head, a driving-pitman for the knife-head, and a ball-andsocket connection between the said pitman and the upper portion of the knife-head, as described.

4. lIn mowers, a shoe, a support therein, a knife-head mounted to slide in the shoe on the support, cushions on the knife-head support between the ends of the knife-head and opposing portions of the shoe, and means carried by the knife-head, whereby to connect the same with the sickle-bar and driving-pitman of the mower, as described.

5.' In mowers, a shoe, bearings carried by the shoe, a shaft fixed in the said bearings, a knife-head having sliding movement on the said shaft, springs carried by the said shaft and adapted for engagement with the ends of the knife-head in its movement upon the shaft, said vknife-head being provided with means at the upper portion of one end for engagement with a driving mechanism, and means at its lower portion for attachment to the knife or sickle-bar, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LORENZO B. MITCHELL.

Vitnesses:

B. S. GARVER, J. A. FLEMING. 

